Powers of Congress

1.  Lobbying- activist (often lawyer) who tries to
persuade members of Congress to enact
legislation that would benefit their group
 Represent about every American interest
group
 Can be paid or volunteer
 Should congressmen vote for what they
think is best? What their constituents want
(even if the congressman disagrees?) Or
for what they‟re getting persuaded to do?

4.  True or false: Congress has not declared
war since WWII.
› Explain your answer.
 - clip

5.  Article 1, Sec 8- To declare War, grant
Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and
make Rules concerning Captures on
Land and Water

6.  From the resolution: That the Congress
approves …of the President as Commander in
Chief, to take all necessary measures to repel
any armed attack against the forces of the
United States and to prevent further
aggression.
 MR. MORSE: [Wayne Morse, Dem.-Ore.] . . . I
believe this resolution to be a historic mistake. I
believe that within the next century, future
generations will look with dismay and great
disappointment upon a Congress which is now
about to make such a historic mistake.

8.  1973- Federal law that checks the
President from declaring war without
Congressional consent.
 Disregarded by:
› -Pres Clinton, Kosovo „99
› -Pres Obama, Libya „11

11.  House of Representatives:
› 25 years old
› Citizen of the U.S. for at least 7 years
› Residents of the state
 Senate:
› 35 years old
› Citizen of the U.S. for at least 9 years
› Resident of the state

12. › How long do Representatives and Senators
serve?
› How are these different from the
qualifications of the President?
› What reasons can you find for having
different qualifications?

13.  Average length of service
› Reps- 5+ terms (10 years)
› Senators- 2+ terms (13 years)
States that have been
represented by a woman
 93 women (record #, 17% of total)
 41 African-American congressmen
(one in Senate), 8% of total
 29 Hispanic congressmen (1 in Senate)
 95% have University degrees

14.  Senate-
average age
63
 Rep- average
age 58

15.  Definition:
 An incumbent is a
politician who
currently holds
political office.
 Incumbency has a
large impact on the
success of individuals
in elections.
 Why?

16. 1.) Voters know how their
representatives vote
2.) More importantly, VISIBILITY
3.) Franking privilege:
 Free mail service that is
designed to keep voters
informed about current issues
and their voting record. (p.
382 of your textbook)
 Random fact:
› Incumbents raise on average 6
times more for their reelection
campaigns than their
challengers

17.  Quick definition:
› Bringing federal funds to ones
constituents
 Can come in all different forms
› Federal projects
› Contracts
› Grants
 Example:
› The “Big Dig”
 Finished Jan. 31, 2007
 Boston, MA
 A project to take an existing 3.5 mile interstate highway
and move it underground
 Ended up costing $14.6 billion
 Tip O‟Neill pushed to get this funding while he was Speaker
of the House

18.  Salary:
› The current salary for members
of the Senate and House of
Reps is $174,000 per year
 Other benefits
› Tax deductions
› Allowances
› Subsidized meals, trips, free
recreational facilities, and
franking privileges.
 Overall, its not too bad to be
a member of congress

19.  The Constitution gives the
House and Senate the
power to punish members
who act out of line.
› Censure
 Formal reprimand
› Expulsion
 Forcing the member from office
 Only 4 members of congress
have ever been expelled.
 23 representatives and 9
senators have been formally
censured

20.  What do you immediately think of?

21.  Article I of the
Constitution gives
congress the
power to make law
 3 types of power:
› Expressed
 Listed right in the
constitution
› Implied
 Powers not
specifically listed in
the constitution
› Nonlegislative

23.  First power listed in the Constitution
› “levy and collect taxes, duties, imports, and
excises, to pay the debts, and provide for
the common defense and general welfare
of the United States.”
› Gives congress the power to collect and
spend money
 Power of the Purse
House Ways and Means Committee
Appropriation

24.  Congress has the
power to borrow
money on the credit of
the U.S.
 Government bonds
› Government IOU‟s
bought by
individuals or
companies
 This takes form in the
national debt
 Debt Clock

25.  ]

26.  Coining money:
› The power to make
money and
regulate it.
 Bankruptcy
› When someone is
legally declared
unable to pay one‟s
debts

27.  Ratified a treaty that the Pres signed
granting Oregon to the US in 1846
 Signed in Don‟t Ask, Don‟t Tell („93)- and
repealed it („11)
 Investigated President Nixon in the
Watergate scandal clip
 Confirmed first Hispanic Supreme Court
judge Sonia Sotomayor „09

28.  Commerce Power  Judicial Power
› Regulate commerce › Create federal courts
with foreign nations below the level of the
› Interstate commerce Supreme Court
 Power to establish post
 Power in foreign relations
offices, copyrights, and
› Approve treaties
patents
› Spending on national
 Power of naturalization and
defense and foreign aid
dominion over territories
 War Powers
› Uniform rule of
› Declare war naturalizations
› Power to Punish Pirates › Governing of territories
such as Virgin Islands,
Guam, and Puerto Rico

29.  All implied powers are based off Article 1
Sec. 8 of the Constitution
› “to make all laws which shall be necessary
and proper for carrying into execution the
foregoing powers, and all other powers
vested by this constitution…”
› a.k.a -- NECESSARY AND PROPER CLAUSE
(elastic clause)

30.  Strict or Loose Interpretation of this
clause has long been debated
› Debate over creation of First Bank of United
States (National Bank)
› McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
 Supreme Court found creation of second bank
necessary to carry out national governments‟
monetary powers
 Court supported the loose constructionists‟
idea that the necessary and proper clause
gave Congress right to make any laws needed
to carry out its other powers

31.  Where has this been used since then?
› Improve rivers, canals, other waterways
› Create the U.S. Air Force
› Establishes federal parks
› Creates federal laws against pollution
› Define and provide punishment for federal
crimes
› Fix minimum wages

32.  Impeachment
 Definition:
 Bringing formal charges against any member of the
Executive or Judicial branch of government accused
of misconduct or wrongdoing.

33. 1.) The House of Reps votes to impeach.
- Majority vote required
2.) The case then goes to the Senate for a trial.
- Senate then decides if the person is guilty or
innocent.
*Conviction requires 2/3 of the senates approval
3.) If convicted, the official is removed from office

34.  Andrew Johnson
› Found Innocent
 Nixon ---- resigns
before impeached
 Bill Clinton

35.  Page 380
› Chart covering the differences between the
House and the Senate
 Page 391
› Powers of Congress
 Page 431
› How a bill becomes a law

36.  Write down one question you had (that
was unclear.